}GESl 



cm 











.ompHY OF 













philosophy 

Till: EVIOIi 






SUGGESTIVE ESSAYS 



ON 



VARIOUS SUBJECTS 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 

THE CREATION OF MAN 
FAITH OF THE AGES 
THE SOLUTION 

THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENCE 
THE NATURE OF MAN 

THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND 
THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND 
THE LIFE OF MAN 

THE PLEASURE OF LIFE 
THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR 
THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN 
THE ART OF CORRECT REASONING 






BY 



'MAYi^ 1894" 



1894 \*, r 

THE BLAKELY PRINTING CO. \^WA8V^^' 

184 and 186 Monroe Street • ' "*> 1 l~~ / C* "^ 

CHICAGO, ILL. *" l> ' -* V > *£-* 



K 



,- N 



V 



irHEXl'ilTART 
Or CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



Entered According to Act ok Congress in the Year iSof; 

By THE BLAKELY PRINTING CO. 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 

Chicago, Illinois. 



.INTRODUCTION. 



The customary plan of having an introduction to 
every book must not be omitted in the case of this 
one, but I hope the contents will be regarded as of 
sufficient importance to warrant their consideration 
by good thinkers, though the author may be entirely 
unknown. 

The suggestive essays here presented are not the 
result of any predetermined disposition or intention 
of publication, but have been written at various 
times, with the idea that perhaps they might be used 
as magazine articles, but more particularly for the 
purpose simply of recreation. 

It has been suggested that the selections here 
given are of a metaphysical character, and might 
not meet with as favorable reception as similar 
articles on other subjects, but my reply has been, 
that if the reading public are not interested in the 
most important problems of life, they would not be 
interested in the several hundred essays which I 
have written on the current topics of the hour, there- 
fore, I will first have printed what to my thought is 
most valuable. 

The underlying principles of nature, when properly 
comprehended, are the best foundation from which 
to consider any other question that may be suggested 
to us, and it will not be unwise therefore, for any 
person to adopt such thoughts as are presented which 
may seem to them as true. 

While it is to be expected that only a certain class 
of readers will be interested in the subjects here 



INTRODUCTION. 

given, an effort has been made to clothe the thoughts 
in such simple language or expression as to attract 
more than the usual number of readers, who give 
any consideration to metaphysical questions with a 
view if possible, of stimulating thought on the 
problems of nature. 

The world has existed a great many thousand 
years, and yet there is no solidified and generally 
accepted opinion on the questions that are here 
treated, so that the suggestions made will not be re- 
garded as contravening or contradicting any estab- 
lished truth in the minds of the people. 

When it is understood that the perceptive faculties 
of every individual have the office or function of 
carrying messages to the mind regarding the objec- 
tive realities of life, it should, at the same time, be 
understood that the intuitive faculty of mind can 
sometimes cognize thoughts of a subjective or hidden 
character, that have the evidences of being true, 
though perhaps impossible of demonstration. 

It would not be proper to claim that the thoughts 
contained in the essays or suggestions that follow, 
are any more likely to be true than the thoughts of 
any other person on these subjects, but they are 
surely worthy of a careful reading, and the author 
hopes they will be considered interesting. 

If it should be found that the reading public de- 
mand the treatment of other subjects, in the same 
simple language as appears on every page of this 
book, such articles are now in manuscript and ready 
for publication. "Ormond." 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

It is not necessary to offer any excuse for present- 
ing a paper on this subject, because strange as it 
may appear, a great many people have failed to see 
the fallacy of the argument presented by scientists, 
in favor of the evolution of man from a protoplasm 
up through the lower orders of animal life. 

Creation and evolution are both facts of nature, 
standing separate and alone in their relations to the 
cause of all being and the designer of all law, that 
is to say, God is the author of the law of evolution, 
as well as the Creator of man. 

It would not be proper to claim that man could be 
developed or evolved from a protoplasm, unless it 
be admitted, that the protoplasm from which he 
came contained all the inherent powers and faculties 
of man's nature. 

The ancient philosophers were of the opinion that 
the original inhabitants of the world must have de- 
scended from the gods, of which there was supposed 
to be a great number, but more modern thinkers are 
confident that there can be but one supreme being 
omniscient and everlasting in life. 

We will assume for the purpose of this paper that 
the modern thought of one God is correct, and pro- 
ceed at once to claim that this intelligence we call 
God, is the Creator of the world. 

ii 



12 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

It may be well at the very outset to define this 
term creation, because it seems to me that the great 
difficulty in understanding any metaphysical subject, 
is the great variety of definitions given to terms, and 
it is particularly the case with the terms creation and 
evolution. 

Creation, as defined by many commentators, is the 
making of something out of nothing, but the term 
is capable of meaning the forming of something out 
of something else, and it is in this sense that it will 
be used. 

Whatever may be the root meaning of the term 
"bara, "which has been translated creation, we have 
reason to suppose that it was capable of being un- 
derstood as the making of something out of what 
already existed, and if it could be shown that it 
would not admit of such a construction then it would 
be evident to a great many good thinkers, that the 
term was not well chosen, because it is unthinkable 
to suppose that this world was made out of nothing. 

Creation must be the result of a Divine plan, but 
what the process was we can only conjecture ; it seems 
to me that the elements of nature must have always 
existed, and that the bringing of these elements to- 
gether in such relations as to form the earth and all 
material things was the mode of creation. 

It will be claimed by some that this process of 
forming a world was the work of evolution, but my 
thought is, that even if such a thing be true, it is 
simply equivalent to admitting the creation, because 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 1 3 

the law of evolution is an enactment of the Creator, 
and must have been in His control while the world 
was being formed. 

The law of evolution is not an intelligence, but 
must be the result of an intelligence, and is un- 
doubtedly controlled by the same intelligence, there- 
fore it is not proper to credit this law with accom- 
plishing what has been accomplished by the intelli- 
gence back of the law, by designing and controlling 
the law. 

If it was remotely possible to find a first cause for 
the existence of this world, to that first cause should 
be ascribed the credit instead of to a law void of 
intelligence in itself. 

When it became necessary to create a world it 
was, at the same time, necessary that there should be 
some way of doing it, and it seems to me that this 
way or mode was to utilize what was already in ex- 
istence. 

It is not of course possible to prove that the ele- 
ments of nature have always existed, but I believe 
they have, and hence have claimed that it was sim- 
ply necessary to bring these elements into proper re- 
lations with each other in order to form whatever 
exists of a material nature. 

If the limit of man's power to reason was confined 
to his immediate time and surroundings, there would 
be no way for him to construct any reasonable theory 
as to the past or future, but having a mind capable 
of reasoning from cause to effect, he can as readily 



14 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

reason from effect oack to cause, but it is not possi- 
ble to always reach correct conclusions, because all 
truth is not capable of being demonstrated. 

There are objections to every theory of creation 
which has ever come to my notice, but it seems to 
me that the theory which I shall now try to present, 
is worthy of consideration, and I will thank any 
reader to point out such defects as they may find. 

The world having been created out of chaos or the 
elements of nature, for surely " chaos" must have 
been something, and I assume that it consisted of the 
elements which were in an unorganized and chaotic 
mass, it seemed best in due time-to create man. 

Now man must be regarded as a dual creature and 
not simply a material being; that is to say, the body 
of man is material, but the mind, soul or spirit of 
man, is ethereal or spiritual. 

It is sometimes the case, that what seems in the 
nature of things true to one thinker may not be ad- 
mitted by another, and, therefore, it may be proper 
to dwell for a moment on the duality of man s na- 
ture and see if we cannot demonstrate the fact. 

Any substance that is resolvable into its essence 
can, without difficulty, be demonstrated as being sim- 
ply a material substance, but in the case of man we can- 
not account for him in that way, because we find that 
though his body returns to dust, his mind, soul or 
spirit, must, in the nature of things, still exist, be- 
cause it is not subject to the law of disintegration 
and decay. 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 1 5 

It is often much easier to prove a truth after 
affirming it, therefore the statement is made, that 
while the body of man is material, his mind is of 
entirely a different nature, as must appear to any 
person who will carefully consider the matter. 

Mind cannot be a phenomenon of matter as has 
been claimed by some, but must be the part of man, 
which we are told, "is in the image of God," that is 
to say, God is a spirit and man is a spirit, therefore 
God and man are of the same nature. 

Do not understand me to say or mean, that man is 
equal to God in any respect, but simply that their 
nature is the same, and the difference is in quality 
rather than in kind. 

This fact of the duality of man appears in almost 
every act of his life, and seems to be one of the self 
evident truths that should be believed without evi- 
dence of a corroborative character, but as it is nec- 
essary to demonstrate the material nature of man by 
returning him to mother earth with which the body 
cf man unites and forms new earth, so it may be, 
the mind can be demonstrated as being the real man 
and destined to another condition of life after the 
death of the body. 

If you will consider that the mind is ethereal, you 
are at the same time considering that it cannot be 
material, because all material things have substance, 
and can be weighed and measured. 

It is true that some material things are capable of 
being made by evaporation ethereal, but in all such 



1 6 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

cases they resolve themselves back to their original 
bulk and weight, that is to say, water may be evapo- 
rated into steam, which is ethereal, but it returns 
again in showers of rain without any loss of original 
weight. 

Mind is not only ethereal, but spiritual, that is to 
say, mind is spirit, and that being admitted proves 
the duality of man's nature, because we have before 
seen that his body has returned to dust. 

There is no metaphysical subject which can be 
demonstrated in accordance with the rules of arith- 
metic or algebra, but the duality of man has been 
demonstrated by the best thought of the wisest men 
and most logical reasoners of all past ages, as well 
as by the process of inductive reasoning, which all 
good thinkers can practice for themselves. 

When it is understood that man has the ability to 
reason, it should, at the same time, be understood that 
reason cannot proceed from matter and that matter 
is not mind. 

The object of remarking that matter is not mind 
will be apparent as we proceed with this argument, 
but in the meantime, we will leave this thought and 
consider another statement which should appear in 
close proximity to it, namely, that mind is not com- 
posed of matter, or the elements of nature, but is a 
gift or endowment from God instead of a creation. 

It may not be possible to prove that mind is a 
gift from God, and descends to every human being 
by the law of inheritance, but this thought is worthy 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. I J 

of the careful consideration of every good student 
who is interested in the underlying principles of 
nature. 

The human family have the power of perpetuating 
their kind, but they have not the power of conferring 
upon their offspring a mind, therefore the law of 
inheritance works conjointly with the law of per- 
petuation, and confers both body and mind. 

It may be proper to add, that the law of perpetua- 
tion is a power or faculty of man, but the law of in- 
heritance is controlled entirely by the Divine mind, 
that is to say, is a law of God. 

Believers in the Darwinian theory of the descent of 
man, or in the complex philosophy of Mr. Herbert 
Spencer would probably claim that the terms " In- 
heritance and Perpetuation" were from practically 
the same root, and have a common or like interpre- 
tation, but they are not so regarded by the best au- 
thorities on our language. 

Webster defines these terms differently, and while 
they are both made to apply to material things, it 
will not be difficult to see that they may also apply 
to spiritual forces. 

Webster says, " Perpetuation, the act of making 
perpetual, or of preserving from extinction or obliv- 
ion through an endless existence or for an indefinite 
period of time." 

It seems perfectly plain to me, that the present 
existing human family and all the people who have 
ever lived, back to, but not including the first in- 



l8 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

habitants, have received their material existence 
through or by the operation of the law of perpetua- 
tion, not an "endless existence" but for an " indefi- 
nite period of time" which it may be added is 
co-equal and co-extensive with man's life on the 
earth. 

If man is a dual creature as has been claimed and 
the law of perpetuation will account for his material 
nature, what can we say for his mind or spiritual 
nature. 

The term inheritance as defined by Webster while 
not applying directly to spiritual things is perhaps 
the best term in our language to express the thought 
under consideration. Webster defines as follows: 

" Inherit. To take by descent from an ancestor; to 
take by succession as the representative of the 
former possessor; to receive as a right or title des- 
cendable by law from an ancestor at his decease. 
The heir inherits the lands or real estate of his father ; 
the eldest son of the nobleman inherits his fathers 
title and the eldest son of a king inherits the crown. 
To receive by nature from a progenitor. The son 
inherits the virtues of the father; the daughter in- 
herits the temper of the mother and children often 
inherit the constitutional infirmities of their parents. 
To enjoy; to take as a possession by gift or divine 
approbation, as to inherit everlasting life; to inherit 
the promises." 

It will be observed that while the term " Inherit- 
ance" includes or connotes the definition given for the 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 1 9 

term " Perpetuation" it has a much wider meaning 
and is capable of being used to express the thought 
suggested, of the transmission of mind to the people 
of the world by the Creator or intelligent first cause. 

Law is simply an enactment of God or man and 
wherever the law of evolution, progression or de- 
velopment first found man he must have had all the 
inherent powers and faculties of his nature, simply 
susceptible to unfoldment. 

In other words there is nothing in these laws that 
could add to, or subtract from the nature of man 
either material or spiritual. 

Scientific research has demonstrated that there 
must have been a time in the history of the world, 
when this earth was not capable of sustaining human 
life and therefore there must have been a first man 
and woman, or races of men and women with power 
of perpetuating their material existence, or we could 
not have the present population. 

Everything on the earth, that can be cognized by 
and through the sense perceptions of man is material 
in its nature, but these faculties or perceptions are 
but messengers from the objective or material world, 
to the subjective or spiritual mind, therefore it is 
proper to claim that there is no way by which the mind 
can be considered as the same nature as the body, 
because it is not an objective reality, but a subjective 
essence or spirit. 

It is an axiom of philosophy that every effect must 
have an adequate cause, and in the whole realm of 



20 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

nature we do not find that any plant or living thing 
has the power of perpetuating except of its own kind 
or species, and therefore it seems proper to affirm that 
man has always been man. 

The process of developing man, from his generic 
or first form to his present stature and attainments, 
has undoubtedly been by the law of evolution or 
progression, but this thought does no violence to the 
theory of creation as here stated. 

Material seed can only bring forth material fruit 
and as the mind of man is not material in its nature, 
it cannot be the result of the law of perpetuation, 
but must be governed by the law of inheritance which 
(as here used) is in control of God and not the 
volition of man. 

It must be remembered that in considering a sub- 
ject of this character positive proof is out of the 
question, that is to say, the creation of the world or 
man cannot be definitely proven, although we may 
reach such conclusions by the process of logical 
reasoning, which are perfectly satisfactory and have 
all the evidences of truth in them. 

It is thought by some people that while human 
laws are the enactments of men, nature's laws were 
never enacted, but must be coexistent with eternity. 

I cannot believe that this is a world of chance, or 
that the laws governing the world are self existing, 
but rather that every law of nature was designed by 
the Creator, and that is equivalent to believing that 
God is an intelligence, not simply a principle of 
good. 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 2 1 

If it should be conceded by evolutionists, that the 
original protoplasm or germ from which man came, 
was inherently possessed of all the faculties of man's 
nature, it is equivalent to admitting that the germ or 
protoplasm was an undeveloped man. 

Let us consider this thought for a moment, and 
find out, if possible, the natural deductions that can 
be drawn from such an admission. 

The original "protoplasm or germ" would in such 
a case be regarded as simply terms to represent " an 
undeveloped man" holding dormantly all the powers 
or faculties of man's nature, or if you please a man 
in embryo. 

If such a theory be true, then this " germ or proto- 
plasm" "or undeveloped man," must have been 
created with his inherent powers so that he could 
reach the perfection of his life by the law of his be- 
ing which is progression. 

It will not be proper to claim that the same proto- 
plasm or substance which contained all the inherent 
powers of man could also be capable of being de- 
veloped into an ape. 

The effort to account for man and indeed all 
animal life has resulted in many theories that are 
far more complex and unsatisfactory, than to believe 
in the special creation of every distinct species, 
with a constant progression from their lowest or 
generic form in regular line of perpetuation up to 
their present perfection of life. 

It is of course true that in all species there are 



2 2 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

similarities or resemblances, but this fact by no 
means proves that they were developed from an 
original protoplasm, either in kind or quality, nor 
does it prove, that any of these various species, have 
ever passed through the form, nature or life of any 
other species. 

Evolution is a law by which the highest possibil- 
ities of every nature may be reached in a regular 
line of continuous progression, but the differentia- 
tions of life cannot be accounted for except by the 
Divine power of creation. 

Do not understand me to mean that every living 
thing is necessarily a member of a distinct species, 
because there may be and probably are several 
branches to every original species, but these branches 
retain their relationship to their parent classes, so 
that in no case do they become a distinct and 
separate species by themselves. 

The same law of evolution, which enabled the peo- 
ple of the world to reach their present civilization, 
will enable them to reach their highest perfection, 
but cannot change their form or structure, so that 
they will ever be anything but men, women, and 
children of the human family. 

It is not the purpose of this inquiry or argument to 
minimize the correct working of the law of evolution 
or progression, but rather to exalt the intelligent 
Creator back of the law, by holding to the theory of 
creation as accounting for the human family and re- 
garding the law as simply a mode or way by which 



CREATION VS. EVOLUTION 23 

the Creator has enabled man to reach his present 
civilization. 

The theory of Mr. Darwin as set forth in his 
treatise on the "origin of the species" and his work 
on the "descent of man," does not pretend to dem- 
onstrate a fact, but simply offers a theory which is 
interesting to students, but wanting in the essential 
elements of homogeneous connection between the 
various species or classes of being. 

Evolution is a term which does not explain itself 
and it may be said, that creation is another term of 
the same character, that is they do not mean the 
same thing to all men. 

The technical believers in the creation of the 
world, out of nothing,have compelled the formulation 
of numerous modifications of their belief, but there 
is no reason why a belief in creation should be re- 
garded as illogical, because a proper definition of 
this term is sufficiently elastic to accommodate a 
very wide range of speculative thought as to the 
mode or process of creation. 

What can be said of the term evolution except 
this, that it is a law of nature by which a created 
being may reach the perfection of its life, and if this 
be true, the duty and function of this law must be 
continuous in its operation, because we do not find 
that any member of the human family has yet 
reached the perfection of life, therefore it is proper 
to conclude that this same law must continue to 
operate in the spiritual world. 



24 CREATION VS. EVOLUTION. 

No wonder that the stupendous realities of animal 
and vegetable life, with the organized matter of the 
countless worlds in space should start the pendulum 
of the human mind swinging back and forth in its 
endeavor to reach an equilibrium of thought on which 
it can rest. 

The consideration of any metaphysical subject 
affords good mental exercise, but it should always 
be remembered, that the ultimate of knowledge 
concerning these questions is beyond the ability of 
any finite mind to reach. 

In conclusion it is only necessary to add, that 
whatever theory may be held as to the process, it is 
perfectly safe to hold fast to the good old term of 
creation as the cause of this world and all material 
things. 



THE CREATION OF MAN. 

It may prove profitable to consider some thoughts 
on the subject heading this article that are not 
generally believed or taught, but which are entitled 
to the careful consideration of all interested parties 
in the mystery of human life. 

The libraries of the world do not furnish us with 
the detail of man's first appearance on the earth, in 
such language as can be accepted by all good think- 
ers, or that means approximately the same thing to 
all readers. 

When this earth was first formed or created, it was 
not capable of sustaining life, at least scientific re- 
search seems to have demonstrated this fact, and it 
will therefore be unnecessary to offer any corrob- 
orative proof of the statement. It would be impos- 
sible to say how many years, ages, or aeons of time 
were necessary to prepare this earth for the habita- 
tion of man, but in due time it was ready for his 
appearing. 

In some respects it would have been a great ca- 
lamity to the world, if the form or manner of man's 
creation had been known and transmitted to us 
through the ages of the past down to the present 
time, because there is probably no subject that has 
attracted more attention, or resulted in greater ben- 
efit from consideration than the speculative thought 
on this question. 

25 



26 THE CREATION OF MAN. 

The Bible says that " God formed man out of the 
dust of the earth," which is equivalent to saying 
that man was formed out of the elements of nature, 
because the earth contains all of these elements. 

It would not be difficult for a great many people 
to be perfectly satisfied with above statement, if it 
was not so simple, as to contain within itself the 
suggestion of inquiry as to how such a wonderful 
creation could occur in such a primitive way. 

When we consider that the real man is the mind, 
we are at the same time recognizing the fact, that 
the body of man which was created out of the ele- 
ments of nature, was simply the material part of 
man or covering for the mind. 

If the above statement could be fully demon- 
strated, it would prove the duality of man's nature, 
which is positively necessary to believe in order to 
account for his superiority over all other animals, 
or to predicate for him anything but extinction on 
the death of his body. 

The only way to account for the mind of man is 
to consider that it is a gift or endowment from the 
Creator, because it is unthinkable to suppose that 
mind can be created out of the elements of nature, 
which are material. 

When it is understood that the mind is entirely of 
a different nature from the body, it is also under- 
stood that it cannot be a phenomenon of matter, 
because any manifestation of matter must be a ma- 
terial manifestation and mind is ethereal or spiritual. 



THE CREATION OF MAX. 27 

The effort to construct a theory that will account 
for man as being entirely a material being has never 
had many advocates, because it seems very plain to 
all good thinkers, that the reasoning powers of the 
human family must be spiritual in nature. 

What can be said of any one person in this re- 
spect, may be said of all the inhabitants of earth, 
because all have the faculty of reasoning from cause 
to effect, though in many this mental power may be 
undeveloped. 

A logical inference which may be drawn from the 
duality of man's nature is this, that after the death 
of his body he must continue to live a purely mental 
life, which is spiritual. 

Just what a spiritual life is, we are not supposed 
to know, but we can readily believe that it is in 
every way suitable for man's condition as a spirit. 

The philosophers and wise men of all ages have 
believed that in some way the conscious part of man 
must continue in some state or condition after the 
death of the body, but it is not possible to demon- 
strate such a thought even to the satisfaction of 
many who believe it, because they do not accept the 
evidence that can be presented. 

A great many people have faith in the promise of 
an everlasting life, and they are perfectly satisfied 
with their mental position on this question, without 
seeking for any other proof. 

"What is, is right," has come to be regarded a 
truism with a great many, especially when consid- 



2 8 THE CREATION OF MAX. 

ering any question of this character, and such think- 
ers are likely to be much better satisfied with life, 
than others who insist on having everything proven. 

The mind of man is the most wonderful thing we 
know anything about, capable as it is of reasoning 
from cause to effect, or reversing the process and 
bridging the apparent chasm between effect and 
cause, but there are limits of thought, beyond which 
even the mind can only reach with the eye of faith. 

In considering the above statement, it must be 
understood that the " eye of faith" is not a material 
eye, whose duty consists in carrying impressions to 
the mind, but rather a spiritual eye or faculty that 
"can seethe substance of things hoped for," even 
though these things may be in another world or 
condition. 

Faith is the balance wheel of mind, and in some 
respects is the most important combination of five 
letters in the English language, playing as they do 
such a prominent part in all the business and social 
affairs of life, as well as being freighted with com- 
fort regarding the life we hope for. 

It is not the purpose of this article to enter into 
any discussion or argument as to what the future 
condition of the inhabitants of earth will be, because 
that will necessarily depend on the character of each 
person, but it may be well to offer a few suggestions 
as to the nature of that life, which are the result of 
a careful consideration of the subject. 

As before stated, mind is the real man, or person, 



THE CREATION OF MAN. 29 

and on the death of the body, the mind, or spirit 
(which may be regarded as synonymous terms,) at 
once takes its place in the spiritual world or condi- 
tion, where so far as we know it continues in a life 
of progression. 

The cares and annoyances of this world are left 
behind, so that it seems proper to believe that every 
person who enters the future state with a well- 
rounded character, will have a life of joy and felic- 
ity beyond the conception of a finite mind. 

To say that every person to properly enjoy a spir- 
ual life must have a "well-rounded character," 
covers and includes all the essentials of a moral or 
religious life, which statement makes it unnecessary 
to dogmatize as to what the essentials are. 

If there was but a single form of religion in the 
world, the creed necessary to be believed might be 
plainly stated, but as there are some differences, the 
above statement is sufficiently elastic to include 
whatever form of religious belief any person may 
conscientiously hold. 

It should be stated that the different denomina- 
tions nearly all agree as to the essentials of religion, 
but differ somewhat as to non-essentials and church 
government. 

Assuming that what has been said will not be 
considered as a criticism of any person's religious 
belief, we are ready to proceed with our sug- 
gestions. 

Life in the future world must be of a mental or 



30 THE CREATION OF MAN. 

spiritual character, entirely freed from everything 
of a material nature, that is to say the material life 
is all material, while the future life will be the ex- 
act opposite, or spiritual. 

The wants of our bodies are so exacting that we 
find scarcely time or ability sufficient to supply 
them, but the future condition has no wants or de- 
mands that are not immediately supplied, because 
they are all spiritual. 

When it is understood that our life on the earth is 
but a few short years, and that these years to many are 
full of sorrow, it becomes a matter of great interest 
to know in what way they can best equip themselves 
for their inevitable future. 

It has been said, "That as a man thinketh so is 
he," and it would seem necessary therefore, that a 
person should learn to think right on all questions, 
but it would be impossible for any person to formu- 
late a line of thought which would be obligatory on 
others to follow, or that would be likely to contain, 
or include, the whole of any truth, because strange 
as it may appear, no person can mentally compass 
all truth. 

The object of life on the earth should be a prepa- 
ration for the life to follow, and such preparation 
is only obtained by thinking as near right as pos- 
sible on all subjects. 

If it could be shown, that there was any way of 
living or thinking, better than some other way, then 
it would be our duty to follow, but it is not the pur- 



THE CREATION OF MAN. 31 

pose of this article to dogmatize as to what is, or is 
not, the proper faith. 

It would be very easy to formulate a faith that 
would be perfectly agreeable to many, but it would 
not be acceptable to others, therefore it has been 
thought best to offer no suggestions on this branch 
of the subject. 

This paper is already too long, or many more 
thoughts of the same general character might be 
mentioned, which would indicate that the spiritual 
life must be a great improvement over life on the 
earth. 



FAITH OF THE AGES. 

History and tradition agree with the statement, 
that the people of the world have always believed 
that there must be a future state or condition for 
every human being. 

This faith antedates in time the settlement of any 
considerable portion of even the far Eastern world, 
and indeed, the record of that early day has only 
been preserved through the traditional accounts that 
reached the authors of our most ancient histories. 

Human nature is the same in all countries, and in 
every age of the world ; therefore it is, that the early 
inhabitants of earth came to precisely the same con- 
clusion regarding a future condition for man, that 
we would have believed under the same circum- 
stances. 

They were not supplied with books containing 
learned disquisitions on this or any other subject, 
because, indeed, there were no books of any kind in 
existence, but they were supplied with reasoning 
powers, which enabled them to realize that they 
must, in some way, owe their life to an intelligent 
Creator, and they could not believe that they 
would have been born at all if they were only to 
live a few short years. 

The anthropomorphites of that early day were 
unable to conceive of a God or Creator without 

32 



FAITH OF THE AGES. $$ 

giving to their conception the form of a man, and 
this does not seem so strange, because they recog- 
nized man with his intelligence as being so much 
superior to any other being. 

It would not be difficult, even in our day, to find 
thousands of people who, in their thought of God, 
always have a mental picture of some form of human 
being, not, perhaps, defined as to size, weight or 
complexion, but with body and parts like unto man. 

Our language does not seem capable of describing 
correctly anything but material things, and there- 
fore, we are compelled to depend almost entirely on 
our mental impressions for what we know or think 
we know, regarding spiritual things. 

It is not difficult to believe that man has a natural 
body and a spiritual body, so that he will be known 
in that future world or condition to which all are 
traveling, but we cannot in any respect, measure 
God the Creator, by the standard of man the 
created. 

Let our minds conceive of God as being omniscient, 
omnipresent, everlasting in life, the Creator and 
Ruler of the universe, and we will then be unable to 
formulate a conception of his resemblance to the 
physical body of man. 

It is true that God is a spirit, and man is a spirit, 
so that in nature they are the same, but God is not 
a man, and it is not known that the Creator has 
form, though our conceptions may always require 
that some form be perceived at least in thought. 



34 FAITH OF THE AGES. 

The mind of man is so constituted that it seems 
impossible to think of anything, unless we can in 
some way picture a form to correspond with our con- 
ception, and hence, it is not strange, that the people 
of the world have regarded the Creator as being of 
almost every form that could be conceived of. 

When it is understood that "God made man in 
His image," it should not be concluded that this 
refers to the material man, but rather to the mind or 
spiritual man, which continues to live after the death 
of the body. 

Considering man as a dual creature, we have no 
difficulty in believing that his mind must live after 
the death of his material body, but what the nature of 
his future condition, is largely a matter of conjecture, 
though we have no doubt it will be in every way 
satisfactory. 

It is not essential to our happiness that we should 
know exactly the condition of our future life, but it 
is proper for us to believe it will be in every par- 
ticular, suitable for our own changed condition. 

The only real change which we can conceive of, 
is the leaving behind of our material bodies, which 
are not necessary to us in our new life, which is 
spiritual. 

It has been the faith of the ages, that in the 
nature of things the mind, which is the real man or 
person, could not die with the body, but must have 
an endless existence, because the very nature of 
mind precludes the possibility of death. 



THE SOLUTION. 

There are a great many of the problems of life 
that do not seem easy of solution, but it is always 
interesting to reason about them, and the mind needs 
the very exercise which such efforts furnish. 

A gentleman once' traveling in Europe found a 
queer illustration of the thought suggested in the 
above paragraph. It was in London, that immense 
city, which, in some respects, maybe considered the 
pivotal city of the world. 

Early one morning he was walking across London 
bridge, when he met a friend from America who had 
just arrived from Paris, and was about to take 
steamer for New York. 

The following conversation will include the 
thought suggested: 

Judge. — Well, Doctor, I am glad to see you again 
in London, and hope you have enjoyed your journey 
to France and Switzerland. 

Doctor. — Thank you, Judge. I have had a very 
pleasant time, but have met some very queer people, 
such as we do not often meet on the streets of New 
York. 

Judge. — I suppose you have also seen some moun- 
tains such as are not common in America, but tell me 
about the queer people, and I will hear your descrip- 
tion of the towering, snow-capped Alps another time. 

35 



$6 THE SOLUTION. 

Doctor. — I visited Switzerland with a large com- 
pany of tourists, and we had a delightful time, but 
what amused me more than anything else, was a 
conversation with one of the natives where we 
stopped. I asked him how long he had lived there, 
and if he would not like to go to America, where 
there was not so much snow? 

Through an interpreter he read me a lecture which 
I shall never forget. It was about like this: 

" I have lived here always, and I don't want to 
go to America. Everybody who comes here asks 
me that question, and they must think I am a funny 
man to want to leave my dear old home and go 
where they cannot stay. If they think America is 
such a nice place for me to go, why do they come 
here? The great mountains covered with snow, 
beautiful valleys, sparkling brooks and silver cas- 
cades, have been my friends through life, and will 
chant my requiem when life ends. No, no, I can 
never leave them for a country across the sea, where 
the people do not know enough to stay at home. " 

Judge. — Well, Doctor, that is a very good story, 
but what particular lesson do you learn from it? 

Doctor. — Only this, Judge; that if I ever get 
home again, I will let some one else do the travel- 
ing, while I stay at home where I am better ac- 
quainted. It seems to me that traveling is a good 
deal like studying philosophy. One is always look- 
ing for what they can't find. 

Judge. — You are in a sense right, Doctor, but if 



THE SOLUTION. 37 

you had remained at home you would not have had 
the philosophy contained in that lecture, and almost 
every day you can hear or see something that will 
give you a new conception of life. 

Doctor. — Yes, Judge, you are no doubt right, 
but there is such a thing as staying at home and at 
the same time enjoying the sights, scenes and sayings 
that one can have by traveling. 

Judge. — It is true we may enjoy traveling and 
remain at home, by depending on the sense percep- 
tions of others, but accounts of travel which are 
found in the literature of the day, might not give 
what you would have seen if personally present. 

Doctor. — Very true, Judge, but if I don't realize 
that, there can be no loss in depending on the eyes 
and descriptive writing of others. 

Judge. — I am not sure that you are right in mak- 
ing such a statement as that, because it seems to me 
that a person loses the benefit of what they might 
secure in any line of study whether they realize it 
or not. 

Doctor. — It is true tnat I would lose the benefit 
of what I should see that cannot be found in good 
books, but have at the same time gained the benefit 
of what I have seen by remaining at home, and the 
solution of the whole matter leaves a margin of 
credit for the party who can travel and stay at home 
at the same time. 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENCE. 

When Babylon was in the glory of her splendor 
it was not difficult to find many of her citizens who 
could have solved any ordinary problem of philoso- 
phy, but none of them pretended to account for the 
creation of the world, or explain their own existence. 

The various schools of thought in the world have 
considered this same question from that day to this, 
and yet it can hardly be said that any of them have 
been able to formulate a theory that is fully satis- 
factory. 

Naturalists have attracted some attention to their 
science by showing and arguing at great length as 
to the similarity of structure that shows itself in the 
different species of animal life. The inferences 
they have drawn from these similarities of structure 
is that perhaps all animals up to and including man 
might have come from an original protoplasm. 

This theory met with considerable favor at one 
time, because it seemed in some respects more rea- 
sonable than to believe in the technical theory of 
the creation of all things out of nothing, which had 
been previously taught. 

A great many professed to believe in the evolu- 
tion of man from a protoplasm as a demonstrated 
truth, but good thinkers were simply inclined to ex- 
amine the evidences in support of such a stupendous 

38 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENCE. 39 

statement, and the more they rea^ the more con- 
vinced they became that the author or originator of 
the theory did not claim his ability to demonstrate. 

If Mr. Darwin succeeded in proving anything by 
his researches and writings it was this, that not- 
withstanding the similarity of structure between the 
different species of animal life, the difference was 
still so great that only the divine power of creation 
could bridge it. 

The services of Mr. Darwin and his colaborers 
have been of incalculable benefit to the world in 
this, that the people have a far greater knowledge 
of natural history than they otherwise would have 
secured. 

With the cares of life pressing heavily upon the 
great majority of people, they are not usually in- 
clined to seriously take up the study of the various 
species of animals that now exist, or have existed, 
but when it was intimated that by making such a 
search they might find their own progenitors, the 
study began, thousands of books were sold, author 
and publisher made happy, while the people held 
fast to the good old theory of creation to account 
for the world and all organized matter. 

Creation does not necessarily mean the making 
of something out of nothing, but may mean the 
forming of something out of something else, and 
while this explanation of the term might admit of 
the creation of man as a protoplasm or germ, with 
all his inherent powers capable of development by 



40 THE PHILOSOPHY OF EXISTENCE. 

trie law of evolution, it could hardly admit of this 
undeveloped man passing through the lower orders 
of animal life. 

The mind is an essence and is conferred upon man 
by the Creator, but the body of man is a material 
substance, that may, have passed through any num- 
ber of changes without changing its nature. 

It is not possible when considering mind as an 
endowment from the Creator, to imagine that it has 
passed through the lower orders of animal life and 
such a thing is impossible of demonstration. 



THE NATURE OF MAN. 

It was for many centuries believed that man was 
created out of the dust of the earth, and hence 
must be entirely material in his nature, but the 
Bible tells us that ''God made man- in his own 
image," which precludes the possibility of his being 
entirely a material being, because God is a spirit. 

The only way to account for some things is first 
to find out, if possible, the nature of the thing under 
consideration; for instance, in the case of man we 
find that he has both a mental and material nature, 
that is to say, there is no single term that will con- 
vey an idea of his nature, and therefore we are com- 
pelled to regard him as a dual creature. 

If it was possible to regard man as being en- 
tirely material, there would be but comparatively 
little difficulty in accounting for his existence in 
the world, and less difficulty to account for the end 
of his being, because we find that there is only a 
few years between his appearance on the earth and 
the return of his body to dust. 

It may not be possible to fully explain all that 
is comprehended or included in the nature of any- 
thing, but when we speak of one's nature we mean 
that indefinable something which cannot be ex- 
plained, but which seems to be inherent in their 
life. 

41 



42 THE NATURE OF MAN. 

Aan has a material body, but we cannot conceive 
of anything material in its nature having the power 
or ability to think, and hence we are compelled 
to conclude that his mind is of a different nature. 
Material things are susceptible of analysis and can 
be demonstrated as being composed of matter, that 
is, their constituent parts are of the same nature 
as the earth,', but the mind can be neither weighed, 
measured or analyzed, and therefore we call mind 
ethereal or spiritual in nature, because it is evi- 
dently the direct opposite in nature from the body. 

When science can determine the nature of any- 
thing, there is then room for philosophizing about 
it, but there can be no theory postulated about the 
simplest thing in the universe until we first find 
what it is in nature. 

This fact of the duality of man being conceded by 
every good thinker, it will not be necessary to offer 
the usual arguments that are used to prove it, and 
indeed it cannot perhaps be definitely proven, be- 
cause it seems to be one of the great number of facts 
that cannot be demonstrated. 

When we consider that the reasoning powers of 
man have their limits, it does not seem strange that 
this limit should be reached before being able to 
fully solve the mysterious problem of his own nature 
and life. 

It has often been said that a sophomore from 
any college is able to explain any of the subtle 
enigmas that have bothered the wisest philosophers 



THE NATURE OF MAN. 43 

of all past ages, but sophomores grow in experience 
as they grow in age, so that they finally come to re- 
gard some problems as beyond the ability of any 
finite mind to solve. 

In the nature of things we have no way of demon- 
strating anything that is the result of creation, be- 
cause we do not, and cannot, know all that may be 
included in this term. 

The life of anything may be determined, that is, 
the length of life may be approximated, but the 
nature of life is beyond the power of any person to 
comprehend or understand. 



THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND. 

With a great many people the principal object of 
life seems to be the accumulation of property, but 
the design of this short paper will be to show that 
houses or lands, stocks or bonds, are not the most 
valuable things in the world, and to suggest a way 
by which any person may secure riches far more 
valuable than any bank account. 

It is not true that the philosophers of olden times 
knew everything, but they uttered some thoughts 
that should be remembered as long as time lasts. 
One of this class of thoughts is this: "Asa man 
thinketh in his heart so is he." 

This statement is not only philosophical but 
scriptural, and in effect means that when a person's 
heart is interested in anything they are sure to 
attain it. 

It would not be right to claim that every person 
could reach the highest culture by simply desiring 
it, because improvement of the mind only comes 
as the result of careful study, and every person is 
not so situated as to devote all their time to even 
such important work. 

The ideal life would be spent in our libraries, 
surrounded by the very best books and magazines, 
but it is rather the practical everyday life of the 
ordinary citizen that we wish now to consider. If 

44 



THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND. 45 

it was possible for Plato to have reached such emi- 
nence in his day that his sayings have been freely 
quoted in every age of the world since, how much 
more readily can we secure a great fund of infor- 
mation every year of our lives, surrounded as we 
are by so many sources of supply. 

It was the year after the discovery of America 
that the first printing press was set up in Copenha- 
gen, and several years were spent in perfecting the 
art that now supplies the world with books full of 
information of every kind. 

The first printing press in the United States was 
introduced in the year 1629, but it was over one 
hundred years later before we had a daily newspa- 
per, if the reference book before me is accurate as 
to date; it is probably true that antedating the 
printing press the Chinese, and perhaps other 
nations, used some forms of character printing. 

It is certainly a fact for congratulation that. a 
large number of printing presses are now kept busy 
in every city and village of the land, so that we can 
obtain books in great variety at a very small cost. 

The only way we can know what any person 
thinks is to hear them talk or read what they write, 
and the only way to improve in our own thinking is 
to know what our best writers think, so that the 
most profitable work we can find is to cultivate a 
love for good books. 

The disposition to read is an acquired habit, and 
when indulged in for a short time becomes a neces- 



46 THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND. 

sity. If every person would devote a half hour daily 
to reading in some good book, they would find 
themselves growing in every way, and it would not 
be long before they could write a readable book for 
others to read. 

It is a mistaken idea to suppose that the libraries 
of the world have been filled with books by writers 
who gained their knowledge without making an 
effort, and it is a greater mistake to believe that 
what they have attained may not also be reached by 
the equal effort of any other person. 

The average busy man of the world does not take 
as much time as he should for the improvement of 
his mind, and if he only thought so he could find a 
few minutes every day, which if devoted to reading 
would be of great benefit to himself and every per- 
son with whom he comes in contact. 

The newspapers of the day are very complete in 
giving the daily doings all over the world, but their 
reading should be supplemented by good books, on 
such subjects as are specially interesting to each 
individual. 

Some people like to delve into the mysteries of 
foreign languages, but the average person can only 
enjoy the thoughts of foreign thinkers when their 
sayings have been properly translated into our 
English expression. 

Let the desire for good reading keep pace with 
the general progress of the world in every depart- 
ment of a progressive civilization, and the future 



THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND. 47 

will prove a wonderful advance in the general hap- 
piness of the people. 

The only way to develop a strong mentality is to 
feed the mind with good thoughts, and, to have a 
wide field of observation a person must not depend 
on themselves entirely to do the thinking, but rather 
should they assimilate all the good thoughts they 
can obtain from others. 

A variety of reading is always better than to con- 
fine one'self to anyone author or subject, because it 
is better to have a symmetrical development of all 
our mental faculties than to be proficient in certain 
lines of study or requirement, and very deficient in 
others. The work of an artist would never be pro- 
nounced good if but a little corner of the canvas 
was exquisitely painted, and no more would a 
person be called bright if they should spend all their 
time reading one book or thinking on one line. 

From every person living we may learn something, 
therefore it should be the object and aim of every 
one to constantly improve in their capacity to think 
better thoughts for themselves. 

The wealth of a well stored mind is better than 
all the other riches within our grasp, and it is 
attainable by every one who desires the pleasure 
of securing it, and the greater enjoyment of its 
possession. 

It is an old saying that "A wise man should 
know himself," but it seems to me that to know 
one'self would be expecting too much of any person, 



48 THE WEALTH OF A WELL STORED MIND. 

because the wisest man who ever lived could tell but 
very little about his own powers. 

The mind of man is so elastic, that it will contain 
all the good thoughts one can obtain from the libra- 
ries of the world and it is proper to say that any mind 
filled with good thoughts, may still find room for 
more and more and more; so that there is no danger 
of having too much wealth of this kind. 

If it was the general habit of all people to devote 
some time every day to agreeable reading, the infor- 
mation thus obtained would enable them to know a 
great deal more than they now do, but the full 
capacity of their own minds for retaining knowledge 
they would not be able to fathom. 




THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND. 

It has been a good many hundreds if not thou 
sands of years since the attention of scientific think> 
ers was first directed to this interesting subject, but 
so far as I know there never has been a tangible 
theory advanced regarding it. 

We know something about the mind's action, 
because we see the results of mental action in the 
thoughts that are expressed to us verbally, or are 
found in our libraries and the literature of the day. 

The brain is sometimes said to be the seat of the 
mind, but no scientific person would claim that the 
material brain of man was the originator of thought, 
and indeed it would not be easy to find a physician 
who would stake his reputation on the assertion that 
the brain could play any part in generating thought. 

It has been claimed that the mind of a person 
was in form like their body, but being of an ethe- 
real character it could not be seen, and therefore it 
would be impossible to prove such a theory true or 
false. 

When scientists disagree about anything, or, more 
properly speaking, when they are unable to express 
any definite opinion about such an important matter 
as the mind, it might be considered presumptuous 
for a layman to attempt an explanation of the great 
mystery. 

49 



50 THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND. 

Mind is not material in its nature, and therefore 
it cannot be explained by material textbooks; but it 
may be claimed that mind is ethereal or spiritual in 
nature, and should be capable of explanation on 
that line. 

It may be said that everything in the universe is 
either mind or matter, but such a statement would 
not meet with universal acceptance, because it would 
be impossible for any person to at once grasp the 
thought as true. 

If you will consider that man is the highest order 
of created intelligence, you should be willing to 
concede that he certainly should be able to philoso- 
phize about himself until he reaches some degree of 
knowledge regarding his greatest power. 

The ancient philosophers were wise men, and suc- 
ceeded in solving a great many mysteries regarding 
material things, but the moment they attempted to 
explain the working of their own minds they were 
suddenly compelled to admit that the philosophy of 
mind was beyond their ability to comprehend or 
explain. 

If it is not possible to explain the functions of 
mind by any material law, perhaps it may be well to 
inquire in some other direction and see if we cannot 
find a law that will explain or at least give us some 
new thought regarding it. 

The mind has been thought by some to be the real 
man or person, and if such a theory be true, then it 
must be that the real person is all mind, that is to 



THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND. 5 1 

say, that the material body is not in fact a part of 
the real person. 

In considering any metaphysical question it must 
always be remembered that a statement such as the 
above, must be taken literally as stated, because 
otherwise the argument to follow would not be re- 
garded as correct. 

If then, the real or subjective person is all mind, 
what becomes of the theory that man is a spirit and 
has a soul ? 

It would not of course be right to leave a person 
without a soul or spirit, and therefore I shall claim 
that the terms are synonymous; that mind, soul and 
spirit, mean the same thing. 

If above statement can be accepted, it will not be 
difficult to believe that the mind is simply the part 
of man's material being which God gave to him, 
and that it was in no sense a part of his creation. 

To be more specific, " God created man out of the 
dust of the earth," or the elements of nature, but 
after the creation " He breathed into man the breath 
of life," and to my concept this is simply equiv- 
alent to saying that God gave to man a mind, capa- 
ble of reasoning from cause to effect, and planning 
for his own comfort and happiness. 

Mind then, is the real man, and is not subject to 
the material law of disintegration and decay, there- 
fore the real person must continue to exist in some 
other state or condition after the death of the ma- 
terial body. 



52 THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIX!). 

The function of the mind is to think, weigh and 
measure the problems of life, and the process or 
mode of thought is simply an inherent faculty of 
the mind, that can no more be explained than could 
the principle of life. 







THE LIFE OF MAN. 

When it is understood that every person living on 
the earth will soon be called upon to give up their 
material life, it becomes a matter of great interest, 
to know whether they are in reality to lose their life, 
or simply pass through a change, which is equiva- 
lent only to the laying aside of their earthly bodies. 

The philosophy of the ages has failed to explain 
the problem of man's existence, but good students 
are substantially agreed in this, that the body of 
man is not in reality the real man, and that the 
death of the body does not affect the mind, which is 
the real personality. 

Whatever may have been the opinion of the first 
inhabitants of the world, it is now a matter of belief, 
that when man was created, he was endowed 
with the faculty of reason, which enables him to 
predicate a result from every well defined cause, and 
he has no difficulty in concluding that the very 
nature of man demands that there shall be, and is, a 
future state, or condition, in which the mind or real 
man may reach a higher perfection than appears to 
be possible on this earth. 

The reason for this belief is not by any means 
suggested to man because of any predisposition to 
live in a condition of which, or about which, he is 
entirely ignorant, but rather a belief which has 

53 



54 THE LIFE OF MAN. 

forced itscl. upon him, as the result of a careful 
consideration of the philosophy of life. 

Science teaches that there is no way a particle 
of matter can be destroyed, and reason concludes 
that what is true of matter in this regard, must be 
equally true of mind, therefore reason affirms the 
continued existence of the entire human family as 
the natural result of their present life in the world. 

The indestructibility of matter is believed by 
everybody who has passed through the common 
schools of any country, because it is one of the first 
lessons taught in natural philosophy, and is capable 
of demonstration, but the problems of mental or soul 
philosophy, are not so easily explained, for the 
reason that these problems lead for their solution 
into the subjective life of man, and into another 
world or condition which cannot be as easily reached 
as the objective world around us. 

It would be comparatively easy to introduce any 
number of facts in nature that would seem to show 
the absolute indestructibility of everything that ex- 
ists, but it would not be possible to clearly prove 
such a theory, and therefore it is not what might be 
called a scientific fact. 

The continued existence of man,. after the death of 
his body, is not a scientifically demonstrated, or 
demonstrable fact, but it is the belief of thousands 
of people, who have reached the conclusion, by a 
system of logical reasoning that has to them as much 
significance as could be given to the edicts of any 
scientific school of thought. 



THE PLEASURE OF LIFE. 

When this earth was first evolved or formed out 
of the elements of nature, it was not in a condition 
to sustain the life of man, and if it had been, there 
would not have existed the conditions necessary to 
make life a pleasure. 

It was many ages before the people were suffi- 
ciently advanced in mental culture, to be much com- 
fort to themselves, or very good company for any- 
body else. 

The philosophers of the world above all others 
have found the true source of pleasure in living, be- 
cause they have concluded that the mind is the real 
man or person, and that the emotions must be regu- 
lated by the mind. 

It will not seem strange that such a statement 
should be made, when you consider that almost 
every person looks for pleasure outside of them- 
selves, while in reality all the joy and comfort of 
life comes from within. 

It is true that objective things may suggest trains 
of thought which interest us, but the real pleasure 
to be derived from what we hear, read or see, are 
the deductions we make from such things. 

To illustrate: A gentleman was once traveling in 
Europe, and on reaching Paris, he called on the 
then Emperor, Napoleon Third. A guard met him 

55 



56 THE PLEASURE 01 LIFE, 

at the door, took his card and soon returned saying, 
"that his majesty was busy for a few moments, but 
wished him to be seated in the parlor." 

Very soon the Emperor entered the parlor, and 
greeting the gentlemen they seated themselves, when 
the following conversation occurred: 

Emperor. — Well, Doctor, I am very glad to see 
you, and hope you have been well since you were in 
Paris last. 

Doctor. — Yes, I am always well, thank you, and 
I hope you have been well also, because your duties 
are so exacting that you need the best of health in 
order to attend to them with any degree of comfort 
to yourself. 

Emperor. — I have found the "elixir of life" in 
not allowing myself to be worried with my duties, 
and it seems to me that any person can enjoy life if 
they only come to understand that their thoughts are 
their life. 

Doctor. — Well, that may be, but supposing their 
thoughts are not like your thoughts, how can they 
enjoy life? 

Emperor. — It is not necessary that their thoughts 
should be like mine in order to be enjoyable; the 
fact is, that my thoughts are the result of sugges- 
tions that come to me, and you could not well have 
my thoughts unless you were influenced by the same 
surroundings. 

Doctor. — I suppose that is true, but my surround- 
ings always suggest some thoughts that I try to 



THE PLEASURE OF LIFE. 57 

formulate in such a way as to secure some benefit 
from them, and though they may be different from 
yours, they serve to impress me substantially as you 
have expressed. 

Emperor. — Well, Doctor, you have found the 
secret of a pleasurable life, in so formulating every 
suggested thought as to make it your own, and in 
accordance with your desire, which is for the pleasure 
of living. 

It seems to me that the Emperor was fortunate in 
having found the true secret of all the happiness 
there is in living, and the same pleasure may be en- 
joyed by every person, who will lcok for suggestions 
outside of themselves, but for real happiness within. 




THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR. 

It is much easier for some people to exercise faith 
than it is for others, and why this is we cannot defi- 
nitely say but we can theorize as to the difference 
between the mental conceptions of the human fam- 
ily, with perhaps some benefit from the contem- 
plation. 

Let us consider, if you please, a few thoughts on 
this subject, with a view if possible of reaching some 
explanation of the different conclusions arrived at 
by different people when considering the same 
subject. 

Mind is a subtle or spiritual essence, that is only 
capable of being investigated by its results, that is 
to say, we cannot weigh, measure or cognize the 
mind itself, and therefore we must confine our in- 
quiry entirely to the product or result of mind, 
which is thought. 

When Plato wrote his treatise on the creation of 
man, he indulged in some very queer conceptions of 
man's constitution, and it is not strange, when we 
consider his thought of man's creation, that we 
should at the same time recognize the possibility of 
the degeneracy of man to the lowest form of animal 
life. 

Equally strange is it to consider the conception 
of Mr. Darwin and recognize the consistency of his 

53 



THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR. 59 

conclusions that man must have been evolved from 
the lowest form of animal life. 

In these two instances, we have diametrically op- 
posite conclusions from the investigation of the 
same subject, by noted scientists or philosophers of 
world wide reputation. 

The consistency of their conclusions may be 
granted, but the fallacy of their premises must be 
conceded, because in neither case have they been 
able to construct a theory that is in accord with the 
apparent facts. It is manifestly impossible to con- 
struct any thought as to the creation of man, or to 
account for his present high order of civilization, 
without first recognizing the absence of man in the 
world and then considering his dual nature, which 
in the very " nature of things" required the action 
and planning of a greater mind than man's to perfect. 

Having such a premise to start from, there should 
be no difficulty in recognizing man as the result of 
a special creation, and the working plans or process 
of this creation is entirely unimportant, as well as 
beyond the power of a finite mind to outline or solve. 

It is not essential to our happiness that we should 
know exactly by what process the Creator formed 
this world and all material things, but it is necessary 
for our comfort that we should believe in the wis- 
dom, power and ability of a Creator to perform 
functions that are not within the scope of man's 
mental horizon. 

Theories or speculations as to the process of ere- 



60 THE SUBSTANCE OE THINGS HOPED FOR. 

ation are interesting, but should in no case lead us 
away from the fact itself, because it is necessary 
that we should be grounded in our premise, in order 
to consider intelligently any thought that may grow 
out of what is an apparent fact, that man must have 
come as the result of a Divine plan and creation. 

If man was infinite in his powers of reasoning, it 
might require his greatest ability to formulate a 
plan for creating a being like unto himself, and at 
the same time, having a material body suitable for 
the earth on which we live, but being finite in his 
powers of thought, it becomes impossible for him to 
conceive of such an adequate plan or process of 
execution. 

The established fact of man's existence, needs no 
theorizing to explain it, and just so is it with the 
established fact of man's creation, there should be 
no proof demanded to prove such a theory, because 
it is in the very nature of things true. 

Take, if you please, a very homely illustration: 
On the plains of Egypt not far from Cairo, stand 
those immense pyramids that have astonished and 
bewildered tourists for centuries, but while it is im- 
possible to say what man or set of men built them, 
or by what process they were built, it is a self-evi- 
dent fact that some man or men did build them. 

Now, recognizing this central fact that they were 
built by man, we are in a mental condition to intel- 
ligently consider the way that must have been 
adopted, to move and place those huge blocks of 



THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR. OI 

stone in position. Suppose, if you please, that the 
fact of these monuments having been constructed by 
man is not conceded, we are at once lost in a jungle 
of wild speculation regarding them, and many think- 
ers would claim that they must have been created 
by the gods, because they would argue that there 
was no possible way that men could have procured 
the material or adjusted it in such relations as it 
appears. 

Losing sight of a correct premise is to fail in the 
proper consideration of any question, and just as 
certainly as it can be held that some man or men 
constructed the pyramids, so by the same process of 
reasoning may it be believed that God created this 
world and all material things. 

It must not be understood that the term creation 
is not sufficiently elastic to admit of such an *ex- 
planation as will serve the purpose of including 
whatever process may have been adopted by the 
Creator, and which is to us unknown. 

The process of creation and development of man 
must have been a reasonable process, and it would 
so seem to us if we knew what this process was; so 
that we may safely reject any theory which does not 
seem reasonable. 

My thought of the evolution theory as defined by 
Mr. Darwin and his followers is, that it is unreason- 
able, therefore I have no difficulty in rejecting it. 

It is not possible to prove that man has ever been 
anything but man, and there never can be any evi- 



Gz THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR. 

dence submitted that would prove that man came 
from the lowest orders of animal life, and has at 
different epochs of his life passed through the life 
and organization of the various lower species. 

There are similarities between the different species 
of animals and plants, but there are also distinct 
differences that in the very nature of things must 
have always existed, or rather must have existed 
since their creation. 

It may be that precisely the same difference may 
not have existed as now, but it is reasonable to be- 
lieve that the relative difference has been the same. 

The law of evolution must be continuous in its 
working, so that if man came from the lowest form 
of animal life up through the different species, he 
must in the very nature of things continue to change 
his structure, until he ceases to be a man and com- 
mences to be something else. 

It will be claimed that the law of evolution ceases 
to operate when the perfection of man was reached, 
but as a matter of fact perfection has not been reached, 
and therefore this law must be still in operation. 

If the law is still in operation, would we not have 
a practical demonstration of its working, by seeing 
the change that was taking place in accordance with 
the theory in the different species of animal life. 

There would not of course be any decided changes 
during the lifetime of a generation, but there would 
be indications going to show that such changes were 
gradually taking place. 



THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR. 6$ 

When philosophers disagree about the process of 
evolution, it is perfectly safe for ordinary people to 
hold fast to the theory of a special creation, and in 
doing so, they may have the substance of things 
hoped for in their belief that they were created for 
an everlasting life. 



S23&&S3 



<KT 



m 



THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. 

There is no way to prove a great many things that 
are true, except by the process of logical reasoning, 
and if a person is well versed in logical formulas, 
there is no reason why they should not have good 
evidence of many unseen things that demonstrate 
great truths. 

The people of the world are interested in not only 
what pertains to their life on the earth, but what 
may be the nature of their future life, so that they 
are giving a good deal of thought to this subject. 

It may be true that our speculations as to a future 
life come largely from our desire for such 'a life, but 
if the opinions of many philosophers are correct, when 
they say that man is a dual creature, material and, 
spiritual, then it must be true that there is a future 
life for all, because man would not have a spiritual 
nature unless he was at some time to live the life of 
a spirit. 

There is no truth more important for the people of 
the world to be impressed with than this, that the 
mind is the real person, and that the mind cannot be 
affected by the death of the body but must continue 
to live in a condition that will be in every way suit- 
able for it. 

It is much easier to believe the above statement 
than it would be if accompanied by a dogmatic 

64 



THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. 65 

theory of the nature and condition of the future life, 
because it would be impossible to formulate in the 
language of earth a theory or conception that would 
be generally acceptable even though it might be 
literally true. 

Our knowledge is almost entirely confined to ma- 
terial things, so that we do not have anything but a 
subjective or interior view of unseen things or con- 
ditions ; in other words, our sense perceptions of hear- 
ing, seeing, tasting or smelling convey to our 
minds all thoughts of a material nature, while our 
intuitive faculties only can cognize unseen things. 

A great many people have believed in the con- 
scious life of all after the death of the body, but 
this belief has not with many resulted in such a firm 
conviction as to be to them a constant source of en- 
couragement. 

It is true in this as in every other belief we may 
have, unless it becomes assimilated in our very life 
it will do us but little good. 

The wisest person who ever lived could not give 
an explanation of the future state or condition of 
the human family, because the nature of it must be 
entirely different from the material nature of every- 
thing on the earth. 

We may be well satisfied that there is a future 
life and we may theorize about it, until we are able 
to cognize what to us seems to be a reasonable con- 
ception, and while our thought may not be exactly 
like the thought of others we have in our conception 
the " evidence of things unseen." 



THE ART OF CORRECT REASONING. 

The mind is not an automatic machine that can 
be depended upon to always work correctly and 
bring forth thoughts of equal value, but is rather a 
combination of machines that are necessary to the 
production of thought, therefore good reasoning re- 
quires that every wheel of every machine should be 
in proper relation with the others in order that the 
resulting product may bear inspection. 

As a matter of fact the mind is not a machine, but 
the illustration used will enable us to so regard it 
in order that we may understand its wonderful work- 
ing, by comparison with familiar things, rather than 
try to make a comparison with the elements that 
surround us which are more like the mind in their 
nature, although the mind is also spiritual as well as 
ethereal. 

When Aristotle first introduced his theory of logic, 
there were but few who could understand his philos- 
ophy, because it did not have the elements of self- 
explanation in it. 

The fallacious reasoning of the people was very 
apparent, but the process of reasoning was not under- 
stood, so that it seemed difficult to make much head- 
way in improvement of the reasoning faculties. 

If the mind was a machine or combination of ma- 
chines, which could be cognized by and through our 

66 



THE ART OF CORRECT REASONING. 6j 

sense perceptions of seeing, hearing and feeling, 
Aristotle would have been able to demonstrate his 
theory of correct reasoning without difficulty, because 
he could have pointed out the particular machine 
or wheel which was not performing its part. 

We have a right to assume that the mind is capable 
of generating correct thought, but we have no right 
to suppose that any mind can dispense with proper 
culture, and the study of logic is simply the kind 
of study which the mind needs for its proper develop- 
ment. 

It would not be proper to assert that people never 
reason correctly on the ordinary affairs of life un- 
less they have studied the principles of logic in some 
text book which treats of this science, because it is 
a fact that many people are natural logicians without 
having made any study of the subject. 

Natural logicians are good reasoners,but they have 
no formulated rules for reasoning and therefore it is 
perhaps just as proper to say that they are automatic 
reasoners, usually correct though not always, because 
they have no rule by which to prove their deductions 
correct. 

The science of logical reasoning is in this, that 
the mind should be cultivated with the principles of 
logic, which is simply equivalent to saying that the 
mind should learn how to reason correctly. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: Sept. 2004 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 
(724)779-2111 



